Safety, security and justice are priorities for poor people and are associated with development outcomes, including the prevention of violent conflict, accountable and effective states, economic growth and service delivery. Security and justice programming aims to support development, as well as peace, stability and democratic governance, which donors see as beneficial to their own economic and security interests and reflective of their values. The literature emphasises the need for programming to be people-centred (rooted in how citizens experience insecurity and injustice) and multi-layered. This is because, in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, the provision of safety, security and justice involves a range of providers acting at different levels, including state actors, local providers and networks, and non-state actors. The lines between these actors are blurred – they associate with each other in varied ways and have varying degrees of autonomy from the state. While donor policies recognise the benefits of a multi-layered approach to security and justice, programmes have tended to emphasise idealised technical approaches based on state institutional capacity building. Such programmes have demonstrated limited results in improving citizens’ safety, security and justice and in contributing to development goals.